The Department of Communication is committed to a welcoming and inclusive cultural environment. Outreach efforts to build a well-rounded student body include periodic public lectures with topics and speakers of relevance and an annual event (e.g., a half-day conference or a luncheon) that involves a conversation, dialogue, or presentations on issues of communication and identity. The Department partners with campus organizations for these efforts, and students are given opportunities to design and participate in the activities.

Orientation for New Majors

For students who are admitted to the major, undergraduate staff provide orientation sessions each quarter that offer an introduction to the major and its requirements and opportunities. The Department informs students of these orientations in the formal letter that notifies them of their acceptance into the major.

Student Advising

Formal advising of undergraduates is conducted by Departmental staff. As noted on the Area Concentrations page, within the general requirements of the major, students choose one conceptual area of emphasis at the upper-division level: communication and culture, communication technology and society, international communication, journalism, political communication, rhetoric and critical studies, and social interaction. Curriculum "guides" for these emphases are provided by the Advising Office and the Department's website.

Distance Learning

The following courses are offered: COM 340 (History of Mass Communication), COM 304 (Press and Politics in the U.S.), COM 440 (Mass Media Law), COM 468 (Journalism Ethics), COM 484 (Cultural Codes in Communication), and COM 489 (Ethnicity, Gender, and Communication).